


Tarnished Gold

by TeamGwenee



Category: A Song of Ice and Fire & Related Fandoms, A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin, Game of Thrones (TV)
Genre: F/M, Hollywood AU, Modern AU, One-sided Cersei Lannister/Jaime Lannister, Past Cersei Lannister/Jaime Lannister
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-01
Updated: 2020-04-01
Packaged: 2021-02-28 18:34:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,547
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23431771
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TeamGwenee/pseuds/TeamGwenee
Summary: Dangerously close to being declared a has been, Cersei muses on her early days of stardom and seeks to find a way to revitalise her fading career.
Relationships: Jaime Lannister/Brienne of Tarth
Comments: 14
Kudos: 129
Collections: Cersei POVs





	Tarnished Gold

**Author's Note:**

> I stayed up to the three am last night writing this :)

Cersei slammed down her phone and thrust out her crystal glass for refilling. Senelle nervously topped up the glass from a bottle that was perilously close to being empty. 

“Stupid, incompetent, _fools,”_ Cersei muttered under her breath. “For all I pay them, they can’t even do something so simple, this is their _job.”_ Cersei snatched back her glass even as Senelle continued to pour, the timid girl knowing better than to leave her boss with a half empty glass. The poor girl was too slow to bring back the bottle and red wine sloshed down the front of Cersei’s ivory silk wrap, rather like a stream of crimson blood. For a moment, the sight rather soothed Senelle.

“You idiot!” Cersei shrieked. “Look at what you have done! This is Qarth silk, it is worth more than your pathetic life. Its replacement will be coming out of your wages, if I don’t just have you fired for gross incompetence.” 

Cersei ripped off the wrap and threw it to the ground in a wet, silken heap. Senelle stood there in numb terror, her tongue tripping over apologies. She was Cersei Baratheon’s eighth assistant that year alone, and Ms Baratheon had wasted no time in telling her what had happened to the employees that had displeased the temperamental actress. 

“Well, are you as stupid as you are clumsy?” Cersei demanded shrilly. “Pick that up and get it cleaned!” 

Senelle gratefully picked up the soiled silk and bowed out of the room, backing away as one would a queen. Or a particularly vicious mountain hyena. 

“And bring another bottle of wine!” Cersei shrieked through the door.

She snatched up the phone and jabbed Taena’s name. Her agent picked it up on the first ring. 

“Yes Ms Baratheon?” Taena Merryweather asked politely, utterly unruffled at Cersei having hung up on her barely two minutes ago. 

“I don’t understand how you could have lost me Jonquil?” Cersei bewailed for the fiftieth time. “You said it was in the bag.”

“I am afraid the director wanted to go in a different direction,” Taena said smoothly. The same old platitude.

Different. As in younger, brighter. With bouncy tits that needed no surgery to perk up. Maybe switching to Taena was a mistake. Her old agency just wasn’t getting her the good parts anymore. Taena was a new agent, Cersei her first big client. Cersei explained away her risky decision as wanting someone new and fresh, with exciting ideas and progressive methods. The truth was that despite having left her former agency with expectations high, her attempts at shopping around had left her empty handed. The bigger agencies with star names already attached weren’t interested. The smaller agencies who were tempted by the clout representing Cersei Baratheon would bring them would be a degradation. At least in plumping for somebody new and unknown, Cersei could make bluffs about progressiveness and being fresh.

To think, there was once a time that Cersei could practically write her own ticket. Now, directors and producers who would have once leapt at the chance to sign her on were hesitant, at best. Her beauty had faded, her temperament had grown, and her talent was scarce to begin with. She was no longer the draw she used to be, and in a town where everyone knew everyone, word of her increasingly erratic and unprofessional behaviour spread. She would turn up late to set half drunk. Days of filming would have to be rescheduled because the slightest inconvenience would cause her to flounce off to her trailer and refuse to leave. A costume that didn’t flatter her and had to be altered, a line she wouldn’t say and needed instant correction, a soundman who had looked at her funny. Thousands of pounds wasted as the directors and assistants tried to coax and cajole Cersei out of her trailer.

“Is it all fixed?” Cersei asked plaintively, sinking down into her plush white leather couch. “The new Jonquil. Is everything signed and sealed?”

“Nearly,” Taena said hesitantly. “They seem pretty settled on who they have in mind, right now they’re just ironing out the details with her manager.”

“But if there’s still a chance, why aren’t you on the phone now, pushing them to reconsider?” Cersei demanded. 

Jonquil was the first part Cersei had been up for in ages that truly appealed to her. _The Seven_ was based on a bestselling book series about the Seven Gods coming to modern day Westeros and taking mortal form in order to fight against the reawakening White Walkers. Jonquil was the Warrior. Cersei had never read the books, but the show had already received a lot of hype, and Varys himself was on board to direct. 

“I really don’t think you are what they have in mind,” Taena explained. “The actress they’re looking at is really quite different. They want this plus six foot, muscle bound giant to play Jonquil. But I have heard word of casting being called for Donelle of Harrenhal-”

“Absolutely not!” Cersei near shrieked. “That hideous, crazed bitch. Do you truly think I could play a part like t _hat?”_

“They’re doing a feminist reinterpretation of the character,” Taena said excitedly, “A strong, ambitious woman with mystical powers, demonised by the church and patriarchy-”

Cersei wasn’t having it. 

“Find me some decent roles, or you’re finished!” Cersei snapped, hanging up on her agent once more.

Cersei sat brooding, mulling over mistreatment. Fuelled by perverse curiosity, she trawled the internet in the hopes of finding out who was up for Jonquil. Nothing came up for the Warrior Goddess, but the God of Love, also known as the Maiden, also known as Florian, yielded images that sent Cersei into a nostalgic spiral.

Jaime Lannister.

Cersei had met Jaime on the set of the Dragonfly Prince. They were little more than children, both on their first big movie, and playing each other’s love interest. Life quickly imitated art and for the next five years they were King’s Landing’s hottest couple. Together, they made a golden pair and Jaime worshipped Cersei like a goddess. But then Jaime grew more and more irate at the press turning up everytime they went out together. He began refusing to go to restaurant openings and avoided the trendiest clubs in a bid for privacy, and it grew harder trying to hide the fact that Cersei was the one calling the paps. By this time Cersei’s star was truly in ascendance and Jaime was just dead weight.

That was ten years ago now. She vaguely knew that Jaime spiralled slightly after she dumped him, but over the last few years had rebuilt his career and had spoken openly about his experience with depression and had fronted several campaigns to raise mental health awareness. Clearly his PR skills had sharpened since Cersei called it quits. 

They had crossed paths several times at award shows and after parties, and Cersei always managed to ‘leak’ a story about the two past lovers catching up together. For all the years that had passed, there was still a dedicated legion of fans who clung to the dream of the former lovers finding each other once more. And every time the two were sighted together, pictures hit the front page with bright, bold lettering asking ‘Are the Golden Lovers Together Again?’

Cersei stared at a video link of Jaime confirming his casting in _The Seven._ He had spoken eagerly and earnestly about his part, always taking ‘the craft’ just a bit too seriously. Cersei nearly drifted off, when there was a moment at 3.08 that gave her pause. One of the reporters asked Jaime if he had anyone new in his life. Jaime had turned quiet and stuttered out a ‘n...no’. Cersei knew better than to read into it. Jaime had always been quiet about his love life, non-existent or not. But she knew the fans would read into it and sure enough, there in the comments, was her name. 

True, a few other names were thrown about as well. Margaery Tyrell, the hot new ingenue, was a favourite. Sansa Stark, an influencer and model whose first attempt at acting had been on one of Jaime’s latest projects. And the name of some ogre lady who had played a recurring warrior woman on Jaime’s last show, who he apparently shared a fair bit of chemistry with and had been sighted spending time with on set and at award shows. Pity, probably. Jaime always did have a soft spot for freaks.

Cersei didn’t let the rumours trouble her. She knew that she was the only one for Jaime, even after all these years later. The pained looks he gave her every time they ran into each other told her that. 

Cersei’s botoxed brain began to whir. There was still time to get Jonquil. She just needed to build enough hype, get enough support, that the producers would feel pressured to change their mind.

And in this glorious day of social media, she didn’t even need the press to do that. 

*

Her instagram post had five pics, only three of which included Jaime, just to avoid looking too desperate. They were from her _Dragonfly Prince_ days, pictures of her on set and taking a break from filming. Cersei in a beautiful gold renaissance gown that had always suited her. Jaime giving Cersei a piggy-back ride home from a club to spare her walking back in heels. Jaime clutching her hand at an award show on stage. Jaime bowing before her in full knight’s armour. Cersei stood on a cliff’s edge during filming a sunset shot, her hair aglow in the evening light. They were tagged with #nostalgia, #memories, #goldentimes. 

Trawling through those old pictures gave Cersei cause to smile. She had truly been smitten with Jaime then, and for all his faults and weakness, Jaime had adored her in a way that none of Cersei’s other lovers and husbands had. He seemed to live to please her, waking each morning only for the hope of receiving the blessing of her smile.

Twitter took the bait and ran with it, but it was fifty/fifty whether or not the commentators were moved by the romance of trashing Cersei as some deluded, lovesick has been. Still, buzz was building and several mags were already on the case. Cersei spared herself the twitter garbage and logged onto a chat forum dedicated solely to worshipping her. The thread focussed on her relationship with Jaime was updating with every passing second. 

  
  


_Holy shit! I cannot breathe. Jaime always gave us clues he wanted to get back with her (golden sword cufflinks anyone?!?!?) but for it to come from the queen herself! Something must be happening._

_Without a doubt. Jaime must finally have proven himself to her. We all know why he got his act together. Cersei is a fierce queen and his pathetic pining was going to get nowhere. Now homeboy has bucked his ideas up and our golden lovers are back together!_

_I wonder when they will post the announcement. I cannot wait to see the pics. Do you remember how he used to look at her? Like the sun was rising before him._

_I bet those pathetic JB stans are in meltdown mode. They truly thought that holiday to Eastwatch meant something special._

_Big shout out to Cersei for being strong enough to say it. It’s obvious how much Cersei missed him, but she always put on a brave face. That post legit made me cry. I bet it made Cersei cry too. Don’t worry my golden goddess, Jaime will be comforting you soon._

On and on the comments went like this. Cersei sat back and felt a rush of euphoria sweep over her. To be so loved, so adored. She thought of her beautiful Jaime and thought of how pleasing it just might be to make those rumours reality. To be worshipped and treated how she deserved to be treated once more. She had always comforted herself that should she ever wish to take Jaime back, he was ripe for the plucking.

Of course, that Tarth cow would have to go. The lumbering beast he was always being pictured with. Cersei had mistaken her for a bodyguard at first. Or an escaped aurochs. Aside from the fact that over half of Jaime’s fandom seemed convinced the pair was an item (as if!), Cersei would not be able to stomach having that beast hanging around. Not within Cersei’s eyeshot. And the Golden Lovers did not need some blue eyed ogre tarnishing their image. Jaime’s deformed younger brother was bad enough.

Cersei watched the comments come in, dreaming happily of the sunlit future she had envisioned. Emmy nominations all round for _The Seven._ An Emmy and Golden Globe victory for her. A three-day wedding extravaganza covered by _Hello!_

Until there came a single comment. A single comment, and a link.

_Guys, I’m not sure you want to see this. Prepare to be sick._

_www.instagram.com.Jaimelionhearted…_

_Oh Gods! Why would he do this to us?_

_I think I want to vomit. Him and that beast?_

_What sort of madman would choose that ogre over our sweet Cers?_

_Guys, calm down. Are we sure he wasn’t hacked?_

_Maybe it’s an April Fools?_

_I bet he’s been told to do it. Someone forced him. That post just as Cersei made the truth clear. Isn’t that just too much of a coincidence???_

_I’m not sure I’m ever going to recover from this._

A sick feeling curdling in Cersei’s gut, Cersei followed the link to Jaime’s instagram page.

There he had posted pictures of himself and the beast. Laughing with her, wrapping his arms around her from behind, pretending to fight with toy wooden swords. The look in his eyes as he gazed up at the ugly bitch, the devotion and tenderness Cersei had once known so well, met with a sort of peace and trust where before had only been desperation and hunger.

That alone was enough to make Cersei sick, but the message Jaime had posted beside the pictures made her truly wretch.

_Here is the most stubborn, dour, argumentative, kind, generous, talented, loyal and remarkable woman who has ever lived. Brienne Tarth has been by my side through my darkest moments and has been my guiding light. She was my strength as I grappled with my depression and the greatest joy. Fans will know her as a remarkable actress, but only a blessed few have the privilege of knowing what a truly remarkable human being she is too. I cannot even express the wonder that it is waking up every morning, knowing that I will get to be with her. My love for her grows greater and greater with each day that passes, and I am in awe that I am able to call this angel my girlfriend…...Try to keep my little outburst a secret. She hates gushing._

Cersei reread the message again and again, until her phone rang shrilly through the silent air. Cersei didn’t bother answering it, an oddly empty ache settling in her stomach. She didn’t need to answer the phone. She knew it was Tanea. She knew Jonquil was lost to her. 

And what's more, so was Jaime. 

  
  
  
  



End file.
